"I think we've always known that there's the possibility for tenofovir (Viread) to be harmful to kidney function and now what we're seeing with more extensive, longer use is that in fact it does really affect kidney function in a subset of patients," says Judith Feinberg, M.D., from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

Feinberg explains some of the traditional risk factors already associated with these organ health problems, how HIV and HIV drugs may contribute and ways to prevent developing these problems to begin with.

"We already know there's lots of things that adversely affect [heart health] -- too much cholesterol in your blood, history of smoking, high blood pressure. [...] But the issue is does HIV contribute in addition to that? There seems to be an accumulating body of evidence that, yes, HIV has some impact above and beyond the typical risk factors for people who don't have HIV," Feinberg says.

The video above has been posted on TheBodyPRO.com with permission from our partners at the International Foundation for Alternative Research in AIDS (IFARA). Visit IFARA's website or YouTube channel to watch more video interviews from the conference, as well as earlier meetings.

Warren Tong is the research editor for TheBody.com and TheBodyPRO.com.

This article was provided by TheBodyPRO.com. It is a part of the publication The 7th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention.
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